Don't worry about that

   Our daughter and grandbaby are visiting, and they have head colds. Caroline was concerned that, given Mom's frailty, a cold might kill her. Would it be safe to take the baby to the home for a visit?
   Maybe. I mean, anything is possible.
   But more likely the baby would pick up something from Mom.
   No head cold is likely to kill or even disturb my 92-year-old mother.
   In the past two years, she has survived the flu that killed other residents, several UTIs and (by my count) three bouts of pneumonia, the most recent brought on by sinus drainage from her seasonal allergies.
   Ordinarily, people with seasonal allergies are miserable, but they change postures, walk around, blow their noses, cough and keep their lungs clear. Mom lies in bed too weak to hold up her head longer than a few seconds. Her lungs were wet all spring, and eventually she developed some pneumonia.
   I thought, "Pneumonia is an old man's friend."
   I thought, "She'll simply go to sleep and not wake up."
   I thought, "What a relief it will be."
   I thought, "But will it?"
   I thought, "No, Mommy, don't die!"
   Now she's fine.
   I think that her immune system has already become well acquainted with each and every one of the rhinoviruses of central Arkansas and so would simply blink at this head cold the baby has picked up from her Little Rock cousins.
   Blink.
   Poof.
   Bye-bye.